Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to building components, and more particularly to a web connector for connecting two or more building components.
2. Description of the Invention Background
Many prior art connectors are available for joining supported wooden trusses at an angle with a main supporting truss and are used, for example, in the construction of roofs for buildings. Metal connectors such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,465, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,217, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,253 were designed for wood frame trusses, which typically comprise bulky members with rectangular cross-sections. Each of the connectors disclosed in these patents includes a seat to receive the bottom chord of a wood member. The supported wood members, such as corner (or hip) trusses and jack trusses that form the connection with the main supporting wood girder, are typically fastened at their sides with appropriate sidewalls or flanges of the metal connector. These connections are cumbersome to assemble and require that the supported trusses be stabilized and supported by some other means while they are fastened to the metal connector.
Roof trusses have also been fabricated from metal materials. The building construction industry has found that metal trusses can be lighter in weight than comparable wooden trusses and metal offers superior fire retardant characteristics. Such metal trusses must also be supported and stabilized during their interconnection to other portions of the building.
There remains, therefore, a need for an improved connector that can be used to connect building components, such as trusses or joists and that overcomes limitations, shortcomings and disadvantages of prior art connectors.
The present invention meets the identified needs, as will be more fully understood following a review of this specification and drawings.
One embodiment of the invention includes a web connector that has a rib member and an attachment plate. The rib member is constructed for attachment to the web of a first building component and may be sized so that is supported on a leg that protrudes outwardly from the first building component. In addition, if the first building component has a lip that protrudes upwardly from the leg, a notch sized to receive a portion of the lip therein may be provided in a portion of the rib directly adjacent to where the attachment plate joins the rib member. The notch allows the web connector to sit tightly into the leg of the first building component. The attachment plate may be oriented at a predetermined angle relative to the rib and is constructed for attachment to a second building component.
Another embodiment of the invention includes first and second rib members and an attachment member that is attached to or adjoins the first and second rib members and extends therebetween. In one embodiment, a notch may be provided in each rib member for receiving a corresponding portion of a lip formed on the leg of the first building component. The notch provides a partial bearing condition for the web connector from the first building component. The attachment member may form two adjoining component plates oriented at an angle relative to each other.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the web connector may be configured such that the height of the rib member is substantially equal to the height of the web portion of the first building component so that it functions both as a web member of the first building component and as a connector to accept a second building component.
Another embodiment of the invention includes a method of attaching a first building component to a second building component, where the first building component includes a web portion and a leg portion that extends generally outwardly from the web portion. This embodiment also includes providing a web connector that has a rib member and an attachment plate that extends outward at an angle from the rib member. The rib member also has a web attachment element. The method further includes supporting the rib member on the leg portion of the first building component and fastening the web attachment element of the rib member to the web portion of the first building component. The attachment flange of the second building component is fastened to the attachment plate of the web connector.
It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a connector for interconnecting a variety of different building components that is easy to install and economical to manufacture.
Another feature of at least one embodiment of the invention is to provide a connector for interconnecting building components that provides rigidity and support to the building components.
Accordingly, various embodiments of the invention provide solutions to the shortcomings of other building component connectors and methods. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, however, that these and other details, features and advantages will become further apparent as the following detailed description proceeds.